Wind, Fire, Spirit! It's Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

Christian Pentecost is truly the most under-celebrated holy-day of the year. Next to Jesus' return, it's what the whole ball-game was all about. It's the grand reversal of the Curse, the death of humankind when, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve drew back from God's Spirit with one act of betrayal. Finally, with Jesus' death and resurrection, the Spirit could return to each person who chooses to welcome him. The worst part of the Curse, separation from God's Spirit, ends. That's Pentecost! We should be dancing, yelling, setting off firecrackers and smacking high-fives till our hands bleed.

Perhaps we would blow the top off the place if we really paused to invite the Spirit in. So I ask you - how do you most long for the Spirit of the Living God to impact your life, your heart? What is there in your heart that is dormant, lost, forgotten - and that, if God were to infuse Spirit-power there, it would be exceedingly wonderful?

When I first came to know Jesus, I liked Keith Green stuff (there weren't many "Christian" music folks to choose from). He wrote a song about the Spirit. It makes a terrific prayer...

Rushing Wind

Keith Green

Rushing wind, blow through this temple,
Blowing out the dust within;
Come and breathe your breath upon me:
I've been born again.

Holy Spirit, I surrender; take me where you want to go.
Plant me by your living water,
Plant me deep so I can grow.

Jesus, you’re the one who sets my spirit free;
Use me, Lord; glorify your Holy Name through me.

Separate me from this world, Lord;
Sanctify my life for you.
Daily change me to your image,
Help me bear good fruit.

Ev'ry day you're drawing closer;
Trials come to test my faith.
But when all is said and done, Lord,
You know it's been worth the wait.

Jesus, you’re the one who set my spirit free;
Use me, Lord; glorify your Holy Name through me.

Rushing wind, blow through this temple,
Blowing out the dust within;
Come and breathe you breath upon me,
For I've been born again.

Grace to you,

Curtis

For Sunday July 6, 2008

Romans 8:1-11
So Paul, at the end of Romans 7, has just finished his "I don't do what I want to do, but the evil I don't want to do - this is what I do. What a creep I am!" speech. And he says that the only way he (we) is (are) saved from such wretchedness is because of Jesus and what he has done for us on the cross. But how? That's what this week's passage from Romans 8 is about.
The "how" is to live in the Spirit of God. It's all about making the best choice, Paul tells us.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (vs 5)
The problem for many of us, is that we still choose to go back to our old life (the flesh) and live in it. What an absurd picture, really: Living in freedom from the old dead life we had, we instead choose to crawl back into a dead body, a carcass, and muck around in it, doing things that slowly drain the Spirit out of us and kill our spirit as well. Why do we do such foolish things? Maybe it is just that we would rather stick with the "known," as bad as it is, than the wonderful "unknown" of the Spirit life. We see real life-images of that all the time. The criminal who offends so he can go back to the knowns of prison rather than live in the unknowns of freedom. The addict who goes back to the horrible known of drugs rather than live in the terrifying but wonderful unknown of sobriety and responsibility. The woman who lives in the miserable known of an abusive relationship rather than leave into an unknown future. Those choices look so clear to those on the outside, and we say, "Are you nuts? Leave! Get a new life!" But in some way, we are no different when we go back to the things we did before we knew Christ.
Paul encourages us to get out of that dead carcass once and for all, and leave it behind. Then live in the unpredictable, confusing, frightening yet wonderful life of the Spirit.